Wisest.fool
06-03-2020, 05:25 PM
recently i started casting bullets for rifles. I had good results. i posted them here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?400731-lee-c309-200-r-results&p=4885760#post4885760
Since i good results from that test I repeated it with a lighter bullet. the lee C312-155-2r. I chose this bullet because budzilla gave me some to try. I wanted to push a cast rifle bullet faster than 2300fps. I thought i could find the failure point of powdercoating or at least where it starts to lead. spoiler alert: they didn't.
so the process was the same the testing equipment was the same to save you all the time of reading the other post i will repeat some of it.
Rifle - Ruger precision rifle 308 win
bullet - C312-155-2R - COWW + 2% tin - water dropped - gas checked - powdercoated with smokes powder. sized down to .309
case - FC 308 win
Primer - CCI LRP
Powder - IMR 4895
range - 50M
Lead bullets go down the pipe quicker than jacketed based on my last test. so load data was started 10% lower than min load.
lead bullets after gas check and PC were roughly 160gn.
Bullets were sorted into groups of similar weights
Results:
37.5 gn IMR 4895 - 2225 FPS less than 1 MOA if you exclude 1 flier
39.5 gn IMR 4895 - 2426 FPS 1 MOA
41 gn IMR 4895 - 2520 FPS 1.25 MOA if you exclude 1 flier
after 41gn groups kept opening up farther and farther.
Pictures or it didn't happen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E1aGvc0ZqmkVXBFj33p4iUfZ6K1BBT9_/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EF9VytqzyQb50573Vo3_gtTHi1W4jS1v/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EHxWKNVHixJFuLGKfG5M88rVbXu9iyNZ/view?usp=sharing
Then i did the same test again changing two variables: powder and bullet
new powder : H4895 since i ran out of IMR 4895 and my store couldn't get any more thank you COVID
new Bullet: after trying bullets from Budzillas mold lee C312-155-2R i bought my own mold CTL312-160-2R. This made the bullets come out roughly 165gn which is perfect IMHO. powdercoated raspberry red. Thanks Budzilla for the lipstick colored bullets. (i go the powdercoating from him)
results:
best group 37gn H4895 forgot chrono or i would have a velocity. less than 1 MOA maybe .85 MOA first three went through the same hole next two were off by 1/4 inch
38 gn and 39 gn would be close to 1 MOA if you got rid of one flier. after that groups opened up.
pictures or it didn't happen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EKooXmqw-xskKzijuwueZez65_xJKdE6/view?usp=sharing
so yeah loving this cast rifle bullet thing. way more accurate than i thought it would be. no leading so far up to 2700 fps. uses slightly less powder than FMJ.
Thought i would put this up here for others to see. Hope it helps
Since i good results from that test I repeated it with a lighter bullet. the lee C312-155-2r. I chose this bullet because budzilla gave me some to try. I wanted to push a cast rifle bullet faster than 2300fps. I thought i could find the failure point of powdercoating or at least where it starts to lead. spoiler alert: they didn't.
so the process was the same the testing equipment was the same to save you all the time of reading the other post i will repeat some of it.
Rifle - Ruger precision rifle 308 win
bullet - C312-155-2R - COWW + 2% tin - water dropped - gas checked - powdercoated with smokes powder. sized down to .309
case - FC 308 win
Primer - CCI LRP
Powder - IMR 4895
range - 50M
Lead bullets go down the pipe quicker than jacketed based on my last test. so load data was started 10% lower than min load.
lead bullets after gas check and PC were roughly 160gn.
Bullets were sorted into groups of similar weights
Results:
37.5 gn IMR 4895 - 2225 FPS less than 1 MOA if you exclude 1 flier
39.5 gn IMR 4895 - 2426 FPS 1 MOA
41 gn IMR 4895 - 2520 FPS 1.25 MOA if you exclude 1 flier
after 41gn groups kept opening up farther and farther.
Pictures or it didn't happen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E1aGvc0ZqmkVXBFj33p4iUfZ6K1BBT9_/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EF9VytqzyQb50573Vo3_gtTHi1W4jS1v/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EHxWKNVHixJFuLGKfG5M88rVbXu9iyNZ/view?usp=sharing
Then i did the same test again changing two variables: powder and bullet
new powder : H4895 since i ran out of IMR 4895 and my store couldn't get any more thank you COVID
new Bullet: after trying bullets from Budzillas mold lee C312-155-2R i bought my own mold CTL312-160-2R. This made the bullets come out roughly 165gn which is perfect IMHO. powdercoated raspberry red. Thanks Budzilla for the lipstick colored bullets. (i go the powdercoating from him)
results:
best group 37gn H4895 forgot chrono or i would have a velocity. less than 1 MOA maybe .85 MOA first three went through the same hole next two were off by 1/4 inch
38 gn and 39 gn would be close to 1 MOA if you got rid of one flier. after that groups opened up.
pictures or it didn't happen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EKooXmqw-xskKzijuwueZez65_xJKdE6/view?usp=sharing
so yeah loving this cast rifle bullet thing. way more accurate than i thought it would be. no leading so far up to 2700 fps. uses slightly less powder than FMJ.
Thought i would put this up here for others to see. Hope it helps